BYLAWS OF THE
UTLA ADULT and OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Adopted April 1991, revised May 9, 2003

 

 

I. PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE

 

The purpose of the Adult and Occupational Education Committee (AOEC) of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) shall be to represent, inform, activate, and organize the teachers of the Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE) of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in order to undertake collective action to serve their interests.

 

These interests include, but are not limited to:

 

·            enhancing public awareness and recognition of the vital societal role of adult and occupational education;

·            promoting the professional standing of teachers in the adult and occupational division and ensuring equity and parity with other professional educators in other divisions and systems;

·            protecting the job security, working conditions, pay, and benefits of adult and occupational educators;

·            increasing the scope of teacher involvement in formulating education policy for the adult and occupational division;

·            ensuring the highest possible quality of educational services to the students in the division;

·            addressing legislative issues, such as funding for adult education, that impact on DACE teachers;

·    joining with the rest of our colleagues in UTLA in collective action to enhance the status of our profession and our ability to fulfill our educational mission.

 

II. MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE

 

Membership in the AOEC shall be open to all teachers in LAUSD.  Voting membership shall be restricted to dues‑paying members in good standing of UTLA.  Voting in elections for officers of the committee shall be limited to members who have attended at least one previous meeting other than an election meeting within the current school year.

 

A list of members in attendance shall be maintained by the Chair, by the Secretary, and by the office staff of UTLA.  This list shall serve to verify eligibility to vote in elections in the committee and shall be used for providing notice of all regularly and specially scheduled meetings.

 

III. MEETINGS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE

 

The AOEC shall make every effort to meet monthly on Fridays preceding meetings of the UTLA House of Representatives.  Additional meetings may be called as needed.  Notice of meetings will be sent to all UTLA Chapter Chairs and to all members who have attended one other meeting in the school year (or, for the first meeting, who attended in the previous school year).  These notices shall be sent so as to be received not later than one week prior to the scheduled meeting.  Notices may be given to the UTLA staff for dissemination within UTLA.

 

Such general membership meetings are the policy making body.  They shall serve to educate members about issues facing teachers in DACE, to debate and discuss those issues, and to formulate an appropriate response, determining a course of action and establishing priorities that will be carried out by the elected officers and functioning Sub-Committees of the AOEC.

 

Meetings and decision‑making of the AOEC shall be conducted on the basis of seeking consensus and allowing for the freest and fullest possible discussion of issues, using the procedures of Robert's Rules of Order.  Decisions and committee positions shall be arrived at in the form of a motion from the floor.  A vote shall be conducted to determine the position of the committee by majority rule.

 

Minutes of the meeting shall be kept by the Secretary.  Copies of the minutes shall be available at the subsequent meeting and be presented for approval or correction by majority vote.

 

IV. OFFICERS OF THE COMMITTEE

 

The AOEC shall elect a Chair, a Vice‑Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer at the regular meeting prior to UTLA’s June deadline (to serve in the following school year). Nominations will be made at the election meeting, and prior notice of the election shall be made to all members in the regular meeting notice.  The term of office shall be for one year.  The Chair, the committee Secretary, and UTLA shall maintain a list of members eligible to vote in the election.

 

Each office shall be elected separately, and each election shall be by secret ballot, beginning with the election of a Chair, followed by a Vice‑Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.  Winners shall be determined by a simple majority vote of those eligible, present, and voting.  If no candidate achieves a majority on the first ballot, a run‑off between the top two candidates shall be held.

 

If a vacancy develops in the Chair for any reason, the Vice‑Chair will serve as Acting Chair until a new election can be held.  If the Vice-Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer position is vacated, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the AOEC.

 

The Chair and all other officers are accountable to the committee as a whole.  Any officer may be removed from office if advance notice is given at a regular meeting that such a vote to remove shall be held.  Notice of the motion to remove an officer must be included in a mailing to all on the Committee’s regular mailing list.  By a simple majority vote, the office shall be declared vacant and a new election shall be held at the next meeting.

 

Every two years, in November of even‑numbered years, the Committee shall also elect four representatives to the House of Representatives for a two‑year term as specified in the UTLA Constitution.  Two of these delegates shall represent community adult schools, one will represent regional occupational centers/programs, and one will represent skills centers.  The representatives of each constituency shall be chosen by a caucus of the respective group concerned, not by the Committee as a whole.  These caucus elections shall take place at a regularly scheduled AOEC meeting.  A slate of four alternate representatives shall also be chosen in the same manner, to take the place in the House of an absent representative.  The Chair of the AOEC shall serve as a fifth delegate to the House.  This position is automatic by virtue of being Chair, and no confirmation is necessary.  The Vice‑Chair shall serve as the Chair's alternate to the House.  Vacancies can be filled by a vote of the Committee as a whole.  Individuals so elected will be elected by the Committee as a whole and will represent the Committee as a whole.

 

Other officers of the committee are the chairs of the standing Sub-Committees established by the AOEC.  Such chairs shall be nominated by the members of each Sub-Committee and approved by a majority vote of the AOEC as a whole.

 

Collectively, the officers of the AOEC constitute its steering committee.

 

It shall be the responsibility of the Chair of the AOEC to facilitate general meetings of the Committee and meetings of the steering committee.  The Chair shall maintain a liaison on behalf of the Committee with UTLA as a whole and its officers, Directors, and staff.  The Chair shall vote on motions only in the case of a tie.  The Chair shall present the proposed agenda of each meeting to the body for approval at the start of the meeting, and shall report briefly to the membership at the start of each meeting on activities conducted between meetings.  The Chair shall present, prior to the deadline for submission to the Budget Committee of UTLA, a proposed budget for the operations of the AOEC in the coming year.  The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in the performance of these duties.

 

It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary to maintain the minutes and records of the Committee and to see to their distribution.  The Vice‑Chair shall chair meetings in the absence of the Chair.  In the absence of the Vice-Chair, the Secretary, then Treasurer, shall chair meetings.

 

V. STANDING SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE AOEC

 

There shall be the following standing Sub-Committees of the AOEC, delegated to carry out the day- to‑work of the committee in the noted areas:

 

A. ORGANIZING SUB-COMMITTEE

 

The Organizing Sub-Committee (OSC) shall be responsible for maintaining communication between the AOEC and UTLA Chapter Chairs at all sites in DACE.  In addition, the OSC shall carry out campaigns to increase the ranks of UTLA in DACE and the participation of DACE teachers in the AOEC and UTLA.  The Organizing Sub-Committee shall assist in the compilation of an accurate list of UTLA Chapter Chairs and individual UTLA membership in DACE.

 

B. SDM/SBM SUB-COMMITTEE

 

The Shared Decision Making/Site Based Management Sub-Committee shall facilitate the development and functioning of site councils at all sites in DACE, and shall help develop optional models and proposals for Site Based Management for consideration by the various site councils, the AOEC, and the Central SDM/SBM Council.

 

C. OCCUPATIONAL TEACHERS SUB-COMMITTEE

 

The Occupational Teachers Sub-Committee shall seek to organize and represent the special interests of teachers at the Regional Occupational Centers/Programs and the Skills Centers within UTLA and the AOEC.

 

 

D. COMMUNICATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE

 

The Communications Sub-Committee (CSC) shall be responsible for developing a newsletter for the AOEC, for distribution to all teachers in DACE, including editorial, layout, and distribution responsibilities under the guidance of the steering committee of the AOEC.  The CSC shall also be responsible for the preparation of signed articles concerning issues facing DACE teachers for the UTLA newspaper, and for assisting the other functioning Sub-Committees and officers of the AOEC in developing effective means of communication with members and DACE teachers.  The AOEC budget shall include an allocation for such a newsletter.

 

E. OTHER SUB-COMMITTEES

 

The AOEC may establish other standing Sub-Committees and task forces as required to carry out the work of the committee.  Areas include, but are not limited to, legislative action, contract negotiations, social/political concerns, and educational policy.

 

VI. STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE AOEC

 

As noted above, the Steering Committee (SC) shall be comprised of the Chair, Vice‑Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer of the AOEC, along with the chairs of the standing Sub-Committees (as nominated by the Sub-Committees and approved by the AOEC).  All such officers are expected to attend the steering committee meetings on a regular basis as part of the responsibilities of office.

 

The SC shall function as the collective leadership body of the AOEC, but shall be responsible to the AOEC and to the membership as a whole.  The SC shall function by consensus or by majority vote, like the AOEC as a whole.  The officers and Sub-Committees of the AOEC shall act only on behalf of and as authorized by the AOEC as a whole, or in emergencies between AOEC meetings, with the approval of the SC.

 

It is the responsibility of the SC to meet between the general meetings of the AOEC to assess the decisions reached and provide leadership to the standing Sub-Committees in carrying out these decisions.  Between general meetings, the individual officers of the AOEC are responsible to the SC and shall carry out decisions and priorities established collectively by the AOEC as a whole and by the SC.  The SC may also meet, if necessary, a week before the general meeting to set the agenda for that meeting.

 

In particular (but only by way of example), the SC shall by consensus or majority vote adopt the agenda for the subsequent meeting of the AOEC, approve in principle the proposal from the Communications Sub-Committee for the AOEC newsletter, and may schedule additional meetings of the SC and the AOEC as needed.  The SC shall prepare the budget for the expenses and operating costs of the AOEC and its Sub-Committees, based on budget requests from the Sub-Committees, and shall present the budget for approval by the AOEC as a whole.

 

VII. AMENDMENTS

 

These by‑laws shall take effect upon approval by a 2/3 majority vote of the AOEC.  Additions or amendments to the by‑laws require a three-step process over three months: 1) recommendation of a change at the first meeting, said recommended change requiring a majority vote of members in attendance to qualify for consideration; 2) discussion of the proposed change at the second meeting, and; 3) approval of the recommended change at the third meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members in attendance.  The meeting notice for the second and third meetings must include the wording of the proposed change(s).  In the event of a lengthy proposed change, the Steering Committee will compose a summary of the proposed change(s).